Celebrate your graduates' accomplishments by being there on their special day. Commencement marchers are needed for all three Commencement ceremonies to truly make this an exceptional occasion and one that the Class of 2012 will long remember.

The pageantry of the procession is an elegant display of our rich academic tradition, and your participation as a marcher is deeply meaningful to your graduates as a display of your support. Don't delay; please register today. Please also plan to celebrate with your graduates at the post-ceremony receptions, where you can congratulate them personally and meet their families.

Thank you for planning to celebrate with the Class of 2012.

Please submit you book requests for fall and summer 2012 as soon as possible! We are far beyond the deadline listed in the college master schedule to comply with HEOA. Requests can be made on the Barnes & Noble at Buffalo State Bookstore website or e-mailed directly to pumalm@buffalostate.edu. Thank you for your help.

Ushers are urgently needed for all three Commencement ceremonies to ensure that Commencement day runs smoothly and to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for our graduates and guests. Many volunteers are needed to usher guests into the Sports Arena, assist with accessible seating, assist with the graduate lineup and processional, assist in the robing room, distribute programs, take tickets, and more. Your participation as a volunteer in one or more ceremonies is critical to this success and is most appreciated!

Please register online today!

Thank you.

Ever wonder how to make beautiful gourmet cupcakes? Well here is your chance to learn! Join Buffalo State Dining today in Resident Dining from noon to 1:00 p.m. to learn how to make innovative cupcakes. Enter with a meal swipe or lunch door price of $8.39.

For more information on Buffalo State Dining, visit our website.

Interested in the restaurant business? Attend a preview of the Restaurant Institute program on Saturday, April 28, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Campus House to help you plan, start, or grow your business! Call the Small Business Development Center at ext. 4030 for more information or to register, or visit the Restaurant Institute website.

Faculty members will enter their summer 2012 session "ES" grades using Banner. The grading window will open at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, May 24, and close at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 30. In preparation, faculty members are encouraged to log on to Banner to be sure that all their courses are listed under their account. Detailed documentation for entering grades is available at http://buffalostate.edu/banner/documents/grading.pdf. Additionally, assistance is available by calling the Computing Help Desk at ext. 4357 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

If you have any questions about grading, please call the Registrar's Office at ext. 4811. We have provided a grading tip sheet so that your end-of-summer-session grading will be smoother and more successful.

From the College Accounts Payable and Travel Services Office
As mentioned in previous Daily Bulletin announcements, all New York State agencies, including SUNY, are moving or have moved to the new Statewide Financial System. SUNY campuses have been in this conversion phase since mid-March. As of March 20, 2012, all open purchase orders (POs) and their encumbrances for all SUNY campuses were globally removed in this process. If your area had an open PO and encumbrance at that time, it would have been removed; this would have increased your available spending budget, causing it to appear that there is more money than there actually is. We will be processing these open POs that do not appear in the system as soon as the matching process for the order is complete.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our office at ext. 4117.

Free meditation sessions are offered every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Weigel Health Center 208. Sessions begin with brief instructions on how to meditate, followed by 15 minutes of meditation practice. Meditation is a well-spent five to 10 minutes every day. For more information, e-mail sternte@buffalostate.edu.

Gathering the Mind
How we tame the mind is by using the technique of mindfulness. Quite simply, mindfulness is complete attention to detail. We are completely absorbed in the fabric of life, the fabric of the moment. We realize that our life is made of these moments and that we cannot deal with more than one moment at a time.

Even though we have memories of the past and ideas about the future, it is the present situation that we are experiencing. The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive. When we talk about the techniques of meditation, these are techniques of life. Meditation is not about something that is separate from us. We are not trying to get into some kind of higher state of mind. The present situation is completely available, spontaneous and unbiased, and we can see it that way through the practice of mindfulness.

A farewell reception for Tracy P. Johnson, Ph.D., will be held on Friday, May 4, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Margaret Grant Lounge (Caudell Hall 115). Johnson has accepted a position at the University at Buffalo as the assistant vice provost for the Educational Opportunity Program. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to a farewell reception in her honor. In her tenure with Buffalo State, Johnson was an inspirational member of the campus community. She served as a senior academic adviser for the Educational Opportunity Program and as an adjunct instructor for University College and the School of Education. She has taken on several leadership positions and served on several committees on campus. Currently she chairs the Buffalo State Association of Faculty and Staff of African Descent (AFSAD) and heads the campus climate survey. Johnson has accomplished much during her time at Buffalo State, and we wish her the best of success.

If you wish to attend the reception, R.S.V.P. to Jude Jayatilleke, ext. 6028, on or before Wednesday, May 2.

Thirty-six faculty and staff members were recognized with Appreciation Awards by student-staff members of Campus Life at a reception on April 24.

Each year the undergraduate paraprofessional students in Campus Life (Residence Life, Student Life, Orientation, and Dining Services) have an opportunity to recognize the Buffalo State faculty and staff members who have influenced them in a positive way. They were asked to consider those whose efforts have made a lasting impression on them and who have “made a difference” in students' lives.

The following recipients were honored this year:

Christopher Aviles, Social Work
Maria Brickhouse, Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program
Rosie Cabrera, Residence Life
Kristen Catalano, Student Life
Anthony Chase, Theater
Leslie Day, Elementary Education and Reading
Brian Dubenion, Residence Life
Jessica Eagan, Admissions
Kristina Garcia, Health and Wellness
Dwight Hennessy, Psychology
John Iusi, Communication
Scott Johnson, University College
Meg Knowles, Communication
Ann Liao, Communication
Rudy Mattai, Social and Psychological Foundations of Education
Bob Mead-Colegrove, Orientation
Diana Monaco, Dietetics and Nutrition
Loramarie Muratore, Residence Life
Gerald Nosich, Philosophy and Humanities
KeunYoung Oh, Technology
Barbara Olivieri, Health and Wellness
Daniel Potts, Biology
Mahogany Price, Residence Life
Janet Reed, Theater (Dance)
Leasa Rochester, University College
Deidrinelle Rouse, Residence Life
Thomas R. Scheira, Social and Psychological Foundations of Education
Lynne Sommerstein, Exceptional Education
Elizabeth Stevens, Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program
Ron Stewart, Sociology
Denice Szafran, Anthropology
Janice Troutman, History and Social Studies Education
Amitra Wall, Sociology
Jo Yudess, Creative Studies
Awilda Ramos Zagarrigo, Exceptional Education
Kimberly Zittel-Palamara, Social Work

Congratulations to all!